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ItaipĂș Dam
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ItaipĂș Dam ItaipĂș Dam Water rushes down the wide spillway of the Itaipu Dam on the Parana River, with mist rising and green landscape on both sides along the Brazil-Paraguay border.
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ItaipĂș Dam
ItaipĂș Dam ItaipĂș Dam on the Upper ParanĂĄ River, north of Ciudad del Este, Paraguay.

ItaipĂș Dam

dam, Brazil-Paraguay
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ItaipĂș Dam
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ItaipĂș Dam
ItaipĂș Dam, Brazil-Paraguay border
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ItaipĂș Dam, Brazil-Paraguay borderSpillway of the ItaipĂș Dam, on the ParanĂĄ River at the Brazil-Paraguay border.

ItaipĂș Dam, hollow gravity dam on the Alto (Upper) ParanĂĄ River at the Brazil-Paraguay border. It is located north of the town of Ciudad del Este, Paraguay.

In terms of power output, ItaipĂș Dam is one of the world’s largest hydroelectric projects. Its 20 massive turbine generators, located in the powerhouse at the base of the dam, are capable of generating 14,000 megawatts of electricity. Built as a joint venture by Paraguay and Brazil, the complex of dams and spillways curves across almost 8 km (5 miles) of the Alto ParanĂĄ River. The dam itself, built between 1975 and 1982, is 196 metres (643 feet) high and consists of large concrete segments joined to form a hollow chamber. The upstream face is supported by two buttresses, and the downstream face is a simple concrete slab. It is one of the highest and largest hollow gravity dams in the world. Its reservoir stretches northward for about 160 km (100 miles), and it has totally submerged the formerly spectacular GuaĂ­ra Falls.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.